Hi Kristian,

I have been working out and training for at least 20 years now and often had difficultly with tightness and soreness in the muscles. A few years ago I was introduced to Kristian at Trigger Point, at first I was very skeptical of the the Trigger point system.  Until I slowly started using it correctly and I have found that it actually has improved my training and recovery. In the past I would often sub an exercise if a particular body part was too stiff or sore. But now I have been able to work this stiffness out. This in turn has improved my training and results as an athlete.

I am always having my clients roll out before and after sessions and they are very aware of the benefits of Trigger Point Therapy.

Thanks Kristian for all your help.

Mick Shaw
CrossFit Effects

Check out Trigger Point Performance Therapy Founder Cassidy Phillips helping these NFL athletes achieve success.

I mentioned a few days ago about getting customer questions. Below are some questions from Brett and the answers can help all of our customers out.

Q. Is it okay to use the TP stuff pre-training ? i.e. before harder run sessions I have been using principally the calf stuff to re-establish the elasticitiy of my calves/lower limbs before I run, I have found it works pretty well for me but thought I would ask your opinion. Also is it beneficial to use shortly after training ?

A. This is actually one of the BEST times to do your TP session. We actually call it Pre-Gen, and what this can help do is unlock your muscles and prepare them for the impending session. Think about it, your bringing blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, your breaking down some adhesion’s and opening up the neurological feeds to the muscles.  Another benefit is that getting your muscles sitting in a better state/position and allowing a smoother range of motion this helps you lay down more efficient and effective motor patterns. I would further this rolling with session specific mobility and dynamic movement drills to get your body fully fired up for the session.

I will do a blog on specific TP work and drills that you can do before your sessions. I’ll cover the basics like swim/bike/run, CrossFit and gym works outs. If you have anything you’d like to know let me know via the comments below.

Re: Shortly after the session – sure, it will help flush the muscles of accumulated waste products, but reality is most people need to get back to work, or family etc post training. The best thing is to do a proper cool down and get some recovery food in within that 30 minute window.

Q. What is your recommendations for how often I should be using the products i.e. once/twice a day etc or does it need to be varied for days where there is running as opposed to not running.

A. The answer to this varies on if you have an injury, what your training day is like etc. However, I would personally roll pre sessions doing specific 10 minute routine based on what I’m training for that day. There will be crossover. Then I’ll aim to do a TP session that aims to flush my muscles of any left over waste products later in the day or evening. If you have time it is good to dedicate 30-60′ 2-3 times per week going slowly and methodically over the entire body or at minimum our Ultimate 6.

Q. I know that you have recommended the number of reps to do for each manipulation but if I find a particularly tight spot is it okay to stay on that for a couple more reps until it releases or should I just stick to the recommendations ?

A. Cassidy developed what he coined Myofascial Compression Techniques as a programming element to self massage (self myofascial release) with a goal of getting the greatest rate of return. So do the recommended reps but do them while ensuring deep belly breathing, good posture and going slowly and methodically. If you do roll over a bound up spot.. sure hang out there for a little while while breathing deeply into that area. Then continue. Remember to always get up and walk around between the manipulations.

If you do have a major trouble spot, you can keep coming back to it over the course of a day. Lets say your calf is bound up, rather than trying to beat it into submission, do the recommended rolling and then get up and walk around, make sure your sitting correctly with feet flat on the floor at work and stay hydrated (with electrolytes). Then do that treatment a few times per day. It’s much more effective this way.

This may just change the way you think when it comes to food. Bottom line here is becoming informed about what you eat. What does this have to do with Trigger Point Performance Therapy and treating your muscle tissue? Everything.

The below is the trailer for the FoodMatters documentary. I recommend you getting and watching the full movie. You can grab it from their website www.foodmatters.tv

Tomorrow I’ll be answering some question on when the best times to roll are.

You are what you eat, pure and simple. When you put crappy processed foods on a continual basis into your body at some stage your body is going to revolt via injury, sickness, disease or a combination of these.
Nutrition is the foundation of everything. It forms the basis of how you feel both physically and emotionally, it impacts how every single cell in your body functions. The trouble is that most of the population are nutritionally deficient, yes even triathletes.

Do you find yourself getting sick often? You’re likely malnourished.

You might think you’re eating a ‘balanced’ diet but unfortunately that term has become adulterated by the food industry, most doctors and even most nutritionists.

Balance should really mean that the optimum proportion of all necessary food components is provided. The problem is that many professionals are giving advice that as long as the carbohydrate source (disregarding make up) is balanced against some protein and fat with some essential vitamins and minerals than you’re essentially eating a balanced meal.

Case in point… go have a look inside your pantry and see what ‘healthy’ cereals (check the length of the ingredient list) you have in there. You’re told to add low fat milk and you now have a ‘balanced’ and even nutritious meal… your simply being fed lies.

For a true balanced meal it is important that your obtaining the optimum quantities of all essential nutrients. Food needs to be balanced within itself, each meal and over the entire day. How do you achieve this balance? Start by eating whole foods, better still raw foods, that nature has balanced for us.

You need to eat from different groups of foods to balance a meal, like grass fed meats, fresh fruit and vegetables preferably from your local farmers markets (even major cities have these), organic is better if you can afford it. some diary products are ok, again look for free range and better still RAW milk and finally nuts and seeds.

The daily balance is achieved by eating balanced meals. I know your going to ask about snacks… especially as an endurance athlete. In reality snacks are only a minor component of our diet (or should be) so its ok not to be fully balanced, however you must choose whole foods instead of the packaged junk foods that are common snacks.

That brings me to the worlds biggest addiction… Sugar. Today there is plenty of research and evidence that clearly shows that the state of our health or lack thereof is due from the enormous increase in the consumption of highly refined or processed foods with sugar and white flour being the main two culprits. We can only take so much food in, so as these crappy food components increase we get less and less of the nutrients from other foods we need for health.

There is so much to cover when it comes to understanding all the things at play with nutrition. Hopefully over time I can drip some good nutritional recommendations in. It will be up to you to further investigate for yourself and then essentially make your own decisions. It’s going to take work because as the saying goes there is no free lunch.

If you truly want to be a better athlete, then the start of that process is a life long pursuit of being the healthiest person you can. Getting in optimum portions of all essential nutrients will positively effect every cell in your body. When these work in harmony so do you. Sure we can cheat it as many do and still get performance. But for how long. Top results are fantastic to have, but if you reek havoc on your long-term health is it worth it?

How do you start?

Your aim this week is to start eliminating junk food from your diet. This is defined as any food that contains added sugar and additives. Also if a food makes you sick, avoid it.

For those of you that are endurance athletes…

You might ask about sports nutrition… good question. Many athletes use bars to snack on each day thinking they are healthy. Not only is that an expensive past time but have a look at the ingredient list and use logic.. can all those chemical additives be good for you? I would also do a search into what sports nutrition you’re using and what they contain. Typically the ingredients are a big part of the cause to race day nutritional woes (not the full picture but definitely part of it).

Also how often do you need to be taking gels, bars etc in training? I believe you only need them in your long workouts. 1-2 times per week is plenty. Outside of that water and real foods are much better.

If you looking for a company that truly cares about the ingredients in their sports supplements then you can’t go past Hammer. I don’t get paid to do that, its just from my own research, application and talks with them that led me to this point.

We’re only getting started.